Sailing Club News – Friday 25-Sep-20

We continued to enjoy some lovely September weather last weekend – mostly sunshine and a great breeze. The booking numbers have been consistently high and the lake has been particularly colourful with the return of the students practicing team racing (but otherwise keeping themselves to themselves).

Pandemic related updates

As the national picture develops we are doing our best to keep on top of the guidance and think about implications for the club AND, looking ahead to colder, wetter weather, exploring various options for making some changing space available.

In the meantime, please take note of the following Covid security updates.

  • Catering– whilst we get our heads around the latest government announcements and agree the way forward with Rob, there will be no inside eating. Rob will revert to take away / eat outside only.

Henceforth Rob will not be opening the galley on Wednesdays due to lack of demand.

  • Duty team – please keep them safe. Inevitably the duty team end up interacting, albeit it briefly, with more people than anyone else. It’s great to chat and watch the sailing, however remember to keep your distance. We’ll be aiming to mark out a space, inside and out, for duty team use only (work in progress).
  • Club boat kit- only needs to be put in the training room on a Saturday. On Wednesday and Sunday return it to the sail store. The relevant documents will be updated in due course.
  • Rule of 6. A reminder to think about the number of people you interact with on the shore- especially if you sit down to eat – how many other people do you then spend time with?

We are dealing with a relatively straightforward outdoor activity! My sympathies to so many of you who have more complex issues in your family and working lives.
Thank you for your continued support for the committees and for each other. I am sure that together we can keep our wonderful sport and fantastic club safe and enjoyable – we all need it!!

A note from our Duties Supremo – Tom Skailes

Please will members check and update their Dutyman profiles (tab at upper left when logged in).
From October it has been decided to appoint an additional OOD to each day’s duty team.
As a result of this, Tom is finding it hard to identify members willing to do a duty on Wednesday from 10.00 – 4pm.
Please could any members able to do Wednesday 10am-4pm OOD duties tick that box?

Racing

This Sunday should see the racers sailing races 17 and 18 of the Return to Racing Series 1. Race Officer Nick Edmonds and team will be planning a briefing around 10.30, followed by two races back-to-back.

A reminder to you all that the open meetings planned for October, the Fireballs and Flying Fifteens on 10/11-Oct-20, and the RS200’s on 24-Oct-20 have been cancelled.

AGM – Wednesday 14-Oct-20

Plans for this are progressing so keep that evening clear in your diaries.
That great communicator, Donald Trump, has nothing on our own President, Rob Mitchell. Rob and Chris Sunderland are planning a Zoom get-together for us all. Details will be sent out very soon.

Winch and Tractor and Propellors

Some news about these pulling/pushing powerhouses:-

The Southern slipway winch is temporarily out of action. Repairs are in hand.

PLEASE would tractor drivers remember that when you leap off the seat congratulating yourself on a job well done and the engine cuts out, if you have not switched off the ignition key, the battery will flatten. This is particularly annoying when, as now, the slipways are longer than a Usain Bolt sprint!

Finally, Steve Turner has had to use our last spare propellor due to several encounters with hard objects that, with the water level so low, are unexpectedly close to the surface. Would RIB drivers please take great care when driving near any of the lake edges or known shallows?

Thanks once again to Ann Belcher for some more amazing photos to brighten up this news!
I hope to see many of you enjoying a sail and sticking to the principles of Hands, Face, Space.

John Smalley – vice-commodore@chewvalleysailing.co.uk

Compare this with the picture last week!

That rudderless Wayfarer showing off!

Visors on the Powerboat Level 2 course

Race Officering doesn’t always make hair stand on end!

Racing Sunday 20-Sep-20

Is that a Seafly in the lead? OCS I fear..

A close Solo start.

John Shimell’s DF95 overtaking a Laser!